Betrayal, and the repercussions
by DarkWolf2045
Summary: An alternate version of A&O in which Humphrey did not wait to say goodbye to Kate. Instead heading straight for the train the night before the wedding instead of that day, feeling saddened, and betrayed, wanting to leave temporarily to get over Kate. Only my second attempt at a story, I hope it’s enjoyed.
1. Chapter 1: Humphrey’s decision

**Howdy guys! Long time no type! Heheh... I had some technical difficulties, so I couldn't be on. I've also decided that my other story was... well subpar, so I'm making another one. This one should be better. As the name suggests, this is about betrayal. More specifically the betrayal Humphrey felt when Kate was to marry Garth, and the repercussions of it. I hope you enjoy :)**

**_Humphrey's POV_**

How could she? How... could... she? Me and Kate, we'd gone through all of that stuff during our adventure, from learning we were in Idaho, to the truck stop, the bears, and our howl. OUR HOWL! And yet... she didn't tell me she was to be married? I at _least_ think she should've had the decency to stop our howl before it started, if not out of courtesy to me, then out of courtesy to Barf... although, it was great. The way her soft golden orange fur shined in the moonlight, the way her soft silky howl mixed perfectly with-. No. No I can't allow myself to fall back into blindly loving her, this is a wake-up call... she doesn't love me back. If she had, she would've said something about her upcoming marriage. If she had, she wouldn't want to get married. Of course she wouldn't want to marry the coyote...

_Fwump! I had been laying in my cave with my eyes closed thinking, when suddenly there's a heavy weight on my back, startling me out of my thoughts, and scaring me._

"Aaah!" I scream. Opening my eyes I see a lot of grey fur. I try to stand up, and lift whoever it is off of me... it's not very effective.

"Hahahahaha! Humphrey chill dude!" It's Salty's voice, but this wolf weighs too much to be Salty... a leg... or tail? Moves out of my face, and I see Salty sitting down laughing his ass off.

"Get off a me!" I say firmly, "I'm not in the mood"

"Aww c'mon Humphrey!" Mooch's loud, barrel sounding voice comes from above me. "Yeah Humph, what's your deal?" Shaky asks from somewhere off to my side.

"Just... get off of me" I say less firm, my voice sounding more apologetic, rather than angered. "Please"

Shaky frowns at me, looking concerned. "Duuude" He says, "this isn't about Kate is it?" Mooch stands up, gets off of me, and sits next to Shaky. I stand up, and stretch my legs, then sit, and frown.

"Kate? What? No, no, why would it be about Kate?" I ask, not sounding very convincing.

"Well _that_ sounded convincing." Shaky says. I can see him now, to my left, while Salty, and Mooch are to my right. "Yeah Humph, sooo convincing... you can deny it all you want, but we all saw how down you looked after it Kate said she'd marry Garth. You know the rules, it wouldn't have worked out even if Garth wasn't involved."

"Guys how many times do I have to tell you? I have never, do not, and never will have feelings for Kate." I exclaim, although we all know I'm lying... they're my best friends, I can't exactly keep anything from them.

"Sure" They chorus, all having looks of mild annoyance, and/or disappointment. "Well Humphrey, we're gonna head to the log sledding hill, and sled for a bit. Come find us if you suddenly find yourself no longer 'not in the mood'" Salty says, as he gets up, and heads for the exit. "Okay... sure thing" I say. The others follow Salty, and they all leave. The late afternoon sun is a beautiful orange, streaming into my cave entrance... I haven't left this space in days, I've been too sad to do so, feeling sorry for myself... well no more. I'm going to go for a walk, to clear my head. I stand up, and head out in the opposite direction as my friends.

There is a gentle breeze, rustling the dark green leaves above, blowing my fur gently, the mixed scents of mid spring coming to my nose, as well as the scent of other wolves. The air feels somewhat dense, moist, and there are dark clouds just above the snow capped mountains bordering the valley, behind them a golden orange hue can be seen, the evening sun setting... on most days this would be a beautiful sight to see, yet all this orange brings to mind is Kate. Why? Why must I be reminded of her in everything I see? It's bad enough seeing her in person! I shake my head, and pick up the pace of my walk, now shifting to a light trot, trying to push these thoughts out of my mind. Suddenly I catch a scent I'd know anywhere... Kate's scent. It's somewhat faded, I look around, yet only see trees, and other flora. I notice eyes are brimming with tears, and I'm choking up.

"Why Kate...?" I whisper, "Why can't I stop thinking about you? Why did you let me think there was even a chance that you had feelings for me? ...Why... wh-Why him? Why him, and not me?" I blink a few times, and my tears, slowly at first yet picking up their volume, and frequency quickly, begin to roll down my face. After a minute or so more of walking and crying, I begin to wholeheartedly, forcefully sob.

"Hhh-hNnk!" I change course... I had been heading towards the center of the territory at first, but now... almost without thought, almost without my willing it to happen, I'm moving westward. Westward... towards the train tracks. _'If I want to get over Kate... well what would be better than not being near her? Out of sight, out of mind! A fresh start! If only maybe for a little while. I'll leave until I've gotten over Kate, then come back... yeah! That's what I'll do.'_

With a sense of hope, and excitement I rush towards the western border of the territory where the train tracks pass through it.My trot breaks into a full run, trees, bushes, and roots fly by in a blur. My tears still fall, yet they no longer carry the same sadness. _I know exactly how I'll do this. I'll take the train back south, where me a-... where I boarded it last, I'll wait, and settle myself, then just like last time I'll come north again. Same as last time, just no Marcel, no Patty, and no... no Kate._ After some time of this running I slow, I know I'm close, I just have to find the tracks now.

I scan the area for the tracks, then after not seeing them I begin to walk around. The trees above shading this area almost completely make it seem much colder than the areas in which there had been sunlight streaming in. This make this situation seem more real, the gravity of it weighing on me... _I don't like this... _I can't stand it. I look for the first bit of sunlight I can see, and trot to it. I may throw up... I feel as though I can't breathe... now that I've actually felt the weight of the decision I was so readily dashing towards, I can't unfeel it. _I'll be alone. All alone. Here I'm not alone. Although... I may as well be... I feel terrible here, just as I'd feel terrible out there. Sure here I have friends, but here I'll have to have to face Kate, and her new mate... every day will be a constant reminder of how the girl I love took that, and used it, used me, just to get home, not caring about how I felt..._

I frown... out in the wilderness I'll most likely have physical pain, and hardship... but here? Here I'll have emotional pain... no physical pain could weigh on someone as much as the emotional pain of heartbreak I decide. My mind is made. This, however, does not mean I'm just fine. I'm not A-okay. In fact, my breathing is heavy, I still feel as though I can't breathe, I feel like I'm both going to hurl, and crap myself at the same time... I need to get away from here. As far away as I can be for this.

I stretch, hoping it'll help me... it does not. However, in moving slightly, the sunlight I'd been so intent on being in, which hadn't helped me before, helps me now. It glints off of something metal far off, shining right in my eyes, blinding me for a split second until I move out of it. _Metal? There's only one thing metal near here... this must be the tracks! _I finish my stretch, and pad my way over to where the metal is, to find it is in fact, the train tracks! I smile. Even though I feel terrible... symptoms I'd heard before described as being that of a panic attack, this is good. It makes me feel everso slightly better. I take my paw, and press it gently to the cold metal of the tracks, and... there's a vibration?

_**Hoooooot! **_

The horn of a steam engine sounds, to me it sounds proud. I step away from the tracks, and after a few seconds the engine itself comes into view, chugging along. I grin excitedly, the train coming quickly in my direction. I wait nearby until I see an open car, and jump at the train just a few seconds before it passes. I land lightly on the pads of my feet on the wooden floor of the boxcar. There are large crates nearby, written in English, and French under... too bad Patty, and Marcel aren't here, no doubt they could translate it for me. I turn around a few times in place, then lay down. I suddenly feel exhausted... still panicky, still sad, yet there is hope now. A hope that hadn't been before. Hope for... well, a peaceful vacation really. To clear my head, and come back refreshed, and over Kate. I smile once more, and close my eyes, already feeling sleep gently tugging at my conscious thoughts. I slowly drift away into sleep, my last thoughts of cupcakes... _I can't wait to find that... what was it? Truck stop! That was it, truck stop! I can't wait to find it again! Maybe there'll be more cupcakes this time!_

**_3rd person POV_**

Humphrey is off. On his way to begin his healing! However, in his excitement, and having his mind clouded by a mixture of emotion, and a mild panic attack, he made a mistake... he didn't check the direction of the train. He intended to go South, back to Idaho, back to familiar territory. Instead he caught the northbound train. He is currently speeding off towards Canada's northern province, and the artic circle. At the moment, he is blissfully unaware... and ignorance is bliss.

**How was it? Good? Bad? In between? Please leave a review, and let me know how ya feel! :) feedback will help me make this story as enjoyable as possible for you, and me! My mind is here to help give you entertainment, thus it is completely open to suggestions, and criticisms. I'll see you guys, and gals neeext time.**


	2. Ch:2 Missing loveDiscovery of a mistake

**Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter! This one will change a bit of the scenes before the wedding, like dialogue while Lilly is helping Kate get ready, and something in place of Humphrey's goodbye, being that he's not there. Spring Break has given me a bit more time to write, so here it is :)**

**Also, I'd like to say I'm really happy to have reviews already, a big thanks to those who have read, and especially to those who have reviewed**

**_Kate's POV_**

It's a nice sun shiny morning, birds are chirping, other wolves are milling about, sometimes excitedly murmuring to each other, and everything seems refreshed due to rainfall during the night. Today's the big day! The wedding! Or at least... it _should_ feel like a big day. A fun, happy time of love, and togetherness... yet it doesn't feel happy, nor fun. It feels like I'm trapped, cornered by responsibility, not to make the decisions I wish to.

"Kat, yer slouchig isnn 'elping 'ere" Lilly says around a pinecone in her mouth, referring to her brushing my fur. Us sitting in front of our parents' cave.

"Oh, sorry Lilly, I guess I got a bit lost in thought.." I reply, and straighten up so that she'll have an easier time, "thank you for brushing my fur" She finishes brushing quickly, and says "No probwem Kat, afta all you've ga-a wook good for Gart" She says in a happy tone, yet there's venom in the way she say 'for Garth' like something is upsetting her. She bites the pinecone hard, snapping it in half.

"I'm going to go get ready myself now, come find me if you need me" She utters, and heads inside quickly, not giving me much of any time to reply. _What's her deal?_ Suddenly I hear footsteps behind me coming up the path to the cave. I turn around, and see Humphrey's Omega friends Salty, Shakey, and Mooch looking somewhat concerned.

"Hey Kate" Salty says, his voice sounding a bit shaky.

"Heeey guys... what's up? You all look upset." I start to get worried myself. _They never come here... why would they want to today? I hope nothing's wrong_.

"Kate, have you seen Humphrey around?" Shakey asks, shaking a bit more than usual.

"Well... no, I haven't really seen him since we got back, why?" They all look amongst each other frowning.

"Weeell, Humphrey was all sad yesterday... we left him alone so he could blow off some steam, and went to check on him this morning, but he wasn't in his cave. We checked everywhere for him, and couldn't find him... already asked Cando to see if he could find him since we're worried, we just thought we'd check with you" Salty replies.

"Really?? That's... not like Humphrey at all! ..I'm sure we'll find him... what was he sad about?" _I can't believe Humphrey would just disappear like that, it's not like him to not be near his friends..._

"Nothin' it's not really important." Mooch says.

Then, I see Cando behind them walking up the path, almost as if Salty's mention of him had summoned him here. _Please have good news._ They notice him, and quickly move out of his way. He walks up to me, and clears his throat before speaking.

"Hey Kate, Humphrey's gone and came up missing, his paw prints, and scent come outta his den going west, but I couldn't keep on them... the rain last night dulled them, washed away the tracks, and the scent."

_West? There isn't much west of Humphrey's den other than the train tracks... but he wouldn't... he wouldn't leave would he? _Although thinking about it... it's a real possibility, being that he was apparently pretty sad, and that we'd just recently used the train as means of travel. I start down the path, walking by all of them.

"Kate where are you goin' today's your wedding! I'll go look for Humphrey, you get ready, if you're not ready before the wedding starts, Winston's gonna be pissed."

I keep walking, not bothering to look back at him when I reply, "Tell my dad Humphrey is gone, and that I'm not getting married until we find him." I get down the path, and start to trot west, leaving them behind before Cando has the chance to argue with me.

After a good twenty minutes of trotting I find myself at the tracks, I hadn't noticed it before, but my eyes are a bit teary at the thought of Humphrey leaving. _Why would he? What could he possibly be that sad over?? _I drop my head to the ground, and start sniffing for his scent, and looking for is tracks, hoping that the thicker tree cover above will have shielded signs of him if he'd been here. I sniff, and look for a few minutes, not finding anything, I start to feel a bit more relieved. _Of course he wouldn't leave, he's be lonely, and he'd probably not be able to catch food, and he knows it_. I go to turn my head back up to walk back when something catches my foot, causing me to trip, hit the ground hard, and roll over myself in a... less than graceful manner. I make a small annoyed grunt, and when I look up... I see a track. Not a very defined track, the edges almost completely washed out, but it is a track nonetheless. I blink, my eyes go wide, and one tear slowly starts to roll down my cheek.

"H-Humphrey... you didn't..." I say in a small, weak voice. I walk over, and sniff at it, hoping that it's not his track, praying that it's some other disgruntled wolf... but alas, his scent faintly permeates the track, and the ground around it...

I sigh, and lay there, not bothering to get up. I blink a few more times, for the most part staring at the track, a few more tears roll down my cheeks... and before I know it I'm sobbing, heavy, throat catching sobs. It feels like my world might just end right here. _Why do I feel so saddened over this? Sure it's sad to lose a friend, especially a best friend, but why do I feel like my world is turned upside down by it? I have responsibilities to worry about, this is second priority compared to marrying Garth! _Garth... marrying Garth... then it hits me. When I announced my upcoming marriage to Garth, Humphrey turned, and seemed like he wouldn't even look in my direction. His friends came to me last, even though they know we're best friends... and they seemed a bit touchy on his reason for being sad. Humphrey loves me... and... I love him too. I felt it... I knew it. When we howled it was obvious, the way our howls mixed together, the way it felt, the fun we had... _Why didn't I notice it sooner? _I continue to just sob, and lay there... someone will come by for me eventually...

**_Humphrey's POV_**

I start to stir... a well needed yet uneventful rest, no dreaming. Perfect for getting a proper good night's sleep. I expect to be able to comfortably lay here being greeted with warm southern air from the open door, but instead I notice that it's quite chilly... the floor beneath me, and air surrounding me cold, and an even colder draft coming from the door. _What in the hell? It's supposed to be warmer here... not colder._

I start to open one eye, and am met with bright light. "What the..?" I turn my head away, and then open my eyes. The boxcar is filled with light, not a warm yellowish light like from the sun though... I feel a pit in my stomach, and that something is wrong. Very wrong. I slowly turn my head towards the open door, minding the light, when I can see the door, I see that the entire thing is white, like a void is around the train... I squint trying to look through the blinding veil of... something.

The sight I see makes me feel like I'll throw up, there's a whirlwind of snow, a total whiteout. _Where am I? _The train only goes north, and south, so it must've been North. _Damnit... how did I forget to check which direction the train was going?!_ I sigh, and stand up, a breeze blows some snow in and it lands on me, making me shiver.

"Great... going from Spring weather conditions straight to freezing winter weather." I frown, and decide to jump out, this train can't be far from the station, and I definitely don't want to be caught by humans. I stand up, ready myself, and jump. When I land, I'm caught by a soft cushiony layer of snow, about as deep as my legs are long, I roll through it a few times before coming to a stop.

"I suppose this can work just as well... I'll stay somewhere near here until I'm feeling better, then just catch the train back... making sure it's the right way first." I say to myself, thinking aloud. _Now, which way to go?_ I look around, seeing white in all directions... except further north, tall dark shapes that could only be trees rise up in the distance... or maybe they aren't in the distance? It's impossible to tell with the visibility being this bad. I begin walking, the air dry, and cold. The walking doesn't stop... or at least it doesn't seem to. It's hard going, tiring, large labored steps, almost like having to jump to take a step, as well as the freezing weather. Eventually I make my way close enough to the tree line, now recognizable as a flourishing forest of evergreen trees... nothing like the deciduous temperate forests I'm used to. I look up at the tops of the tall trees, blowing in the wind. I shiver and shake violently. I go to take another step, yet when my paw hits the ground... I hear something crack.

"Hmm?" I got to step backwards, and another crack, but this time my paw breaks through something, and I slip, falling down to the ground, my paw feeling wet, getting trapped in a hole. _Shit! It's ice!_ I try frantically to pull myself up, but the ice cracks again, louder, more broken sounding... "CRAP!" I shout, try even more desperately to get to safety. My frantic motions break the ice around my leg, and I'm able to pull it out. I immediately laugh a bit, and start to take a step away from the spot, when the ground cracks even more, and the ice breaks out from under me. I fall into water below making a loud frightened shout. The water is absolutely freezing and dark from the snow above, when I open my eyes I can't see a thing. A current pushes me away from my hole. I hold my breath, and begin pounding on the ice, trying to break a new hole... _Come on come on come on, BREAK!!_ My efforts are in vain... I can't put enough force into it, I can't hold my breath much longer. My vision is ebbing, starting to get dark, and I'm beyond cold. As I fall into unconsciousness, the last thing I see is light from above the ice,and a brown and grey figure above me.

**There it is, our story is picking up! And ahead of schedule! I hope y'all are liking it so far. Humphrey seems to be in a spot a trouble eh? Anyway, I hope you guys and gals have a good week, and I'll see youuuu next time. Keep it real. :)**


	3. Ch:3 Kat: The healer

**Okie dokie guys and gals, next chapter! :D I hope you all have had a great time since the last update! Hopefully you all enjoy the way the story goes from here on out, I'm still open open to suggestions, always am. I'll see y'all at the bottom!**

**_Humphrey's POV_**

"Mmmrf.."

I groan... I'm freezing again. I squeeze my eyes shut tighter, and curl up, trying to stay warm, my body is stiff.

"God, why is it so cold?" My voice is hoarse, like it hasn't been used in a few days... it dawns on me that I had been in water before. _What happened? Where am I? _The floor below me is warm, solid earth... not the snow, and ice I had been on before. For now, I don't care. I'm just happy to be out of the freezing water.

Suddenly I hear some , then a soft padding sound coming towards me, like another wolf is walking in my direction.

"Ooh I know, I know, juuust keep resting, you get used to the cold after a while." The voice of a female who sounds to be younger like me, rather than older like Winston or Eve. It sounds soft and sympathetic, almost like she'd been talking to a young pup who'd been whimpering.

Unexpectedly I feel a weight being placed on my back very gently, and something warm lowers onto me... it doesn't seem to be the objects full weight. I feel soft fur against mine, and soft moving. I can hear the other wolf breathing right above me... she must be what's on top of me, to share body heat maybe? She sighs, "I can't wait til you _finally_ wake up, and I get to meet you... gets boring talking to the equivalent of a warm corpse after all." She says it jokingly, in a bored sounding manner, the two mixing together to make it actually quite funny... I can't help but laugh slightly. This seems to startle her, understandably so, considering she'd thought I was asleep.

"O-oh! You're awake! ..I uhh... I'll get off of you." The weight is removed from my back, and I feel a paw brush over me as she steps back. There's another soft shuffling sound. I uncurl myself, stand up, and stretch, then open my eyes, and sit. I see that I'm in a cave, a few small pieces of meat sit to one side, but most interesting is the wolf sitting in front of me. She's slender, just a bit bigger that Lilly. A deep reddish brown coat, similar to Barf's, but accented with white on her underbelly, face, and paws... such an odd color combination, but very interesting. Her fur is a bit longer than most of the other wolves I've met, probably a necessity with the cold here. She doesn't appear to be an Omega, as she's more toned than any Omega would ever work to be, yet she looks like a fun person, a bright smile aimed right at me. She is, in a way quite cute... a natural looking sort of beauty.

I keep looking for a few seconds, and then I realize I'm staring. _Ahem_ "Uh.. h-hi there! I'm Humphrey. So nice to meet you miss, and thank you so much for helping me!" I return the smile.

"That's a nice name, I had you more pegged for an Avery. I'm Katherine... most people just call me Kat. Also, you're welcome."

"Why thank you, and might I say you have a pretty nice name yourself. Y'know, nowhere _neeeear_ as nice as mine, but you're close."

I say it in a tone positively dripping with a joking, false smug tone. She giggles slightly.

"Oh definitely not" she says in much the same tone. This time it's my turn to giggle, and I promptly do so.

"So Kat, may I ask where I am?" I ask, hoping I'm not too far north. She nods.

She nods. "Sure you can ask! I'm not holding you hostage. Even though a cutie like you would be the first person I'd want to hold hostage" The last bit sounds like she's joking, and we both laugh a little, "We... my pack I mean, call these woods Winter Wood, it's in the northwestern territories, just a ways southeast of a town called Déline if you know where that is. That's where the train stops last."

The name rings no bells, but I know I'm nowhere near home. "Well thank you. How long has it been since I fell through the ice?"

She dawns a thoughtful type of look, and looks off to her right, looking like she's trying to add up the time. "Hmm... two days? Three? Something like that. Boy I tell ya Humph, you're one lucky wolf. _Humph? Heh... known me for only a few minutes, and she's already made a nickname for me? I like it. _"If me and Demetri hadn't been out there looking for some plants, you'd have been a goner."

I'm painfully aware of how close I came to death... I don't think I'll be going near any sizesble body of water for a while if I can help it. "Yeah, well thanks again... I'll have to thank Demetri as well when I get the chance... also, why were you laying on me earlier? I assumed it was to keep me warm, right?"

She nods, "Yeah, I was trying to share my body heat with you." I tilt my head a little, wondering why she was doing this... surely she'd have some job to attend to in the pack. She must detect my confusion, as she continues. "I'm the pack's healer, here every pack leader's daughter is trained to be the healer, and trains the next healer eventually. Basically, I have to sit around and do nothing getting food brought to me, until someone gets turned into an ice cube, then it's my job to warm them back up... or set broken bones, or I give people something to help with a cold... pretty boring job, but important enough I guess."

Pack leader's daughter huh? Probably an Alpha then. "Certainly important for this ice cube!" I joke. She snickers a little, and rolls her eyes in an exaggerated way, smiling.

"Ha-ha-ha, very funny, but y'know you keep laughing at death like that, death might just laugh back." She kids back, a bit sarcastically. Kat gets up, and walks over to the meat pieces, takes one in her maw, and sets it down in front of me. "Anywho, you'd better eat up, then get some natural rest, tomorrow I'll take you out, and introduce you to my parents, and some of the other important people in the pack, then they'll decide what happens with you."

I don't like the sound of that... it sounds ominous, like something bad will happen. "Wh-What do you mean by that?" I nervously mutter my question, then bend down, and take a bite of the meat.

She walks back over to the meat, and returns over to me with another piece. "Oh nothing to worry about, really sorry if I scared you, just they ask whether you'd like to stay or not really." She frowns a little, looking concerned over making me nervous.

"Okay... that sounds much better.." We continue to eat quietly for a bit, and once I finish I stretch, and yawn. She smiles, and finishes her meal as well, then does her own stretching. "Goodnight." I turn around in a circle a few times, then curl up. She, full of surprises walks over, and curls herself right up next to me, so much so that I can feel my body move slightly with every breath she takes. "Night cutie." She giggles, and that is the last of our interaction for the night, her breathing quickly becomes deeper, and slower. I lay there awake for a few minutes thinking about my new friend here, then close my eyes, and fall asleep.

**Hey guys! Sorry about the shorter chapter, just figured this character should have a chapter of introduction to herself, yet that said introduction didn't necessarily need to be the normal chapter length. Also Humphrey's not dead, yay! I know I know, big plot twist, yeah? Lol... anyway, I'm tired, so I'll leave it off here. See you guys later.**


	4. Ch:4 Kate’s guilt

**Hey guys! Another two weeks gone by... boy does time fly? Last was a solely Humphrey chapter, now we'll get a solely Kate chapter. I hope you all had a happy Easter, or if you don't celebrate Easter, then a happy 4/20 lol. Anyway, I digress, I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**_Kate's POV_**

By now I've walked back to my parents' den, and am sitting just outside the entrance, behind the corner, thinking, waiting for them to tell me it's time for the wedding... I of course am I no mood for a wedding. I had found that apparently Cando told them I had left to mentally prepare myself for the wedding, as he'd told me once I'd gotten back. In reality for most of the time I had been mentally preparing myself to call it off. At least until my best friend was found... at least I keep telling myself that's all the feelings I have for him, that he's just my friend, and nothing more. I'm lying to myself and I know it... I've been hopelessly in love with that caring, funny, cute Omega since I met him, it just took his leaving to show me how I had really felt. _How could I have been so stupid?! _

I hear footsteps. _This is it..._ There's absolutely no way they'll miss that something is wrong, from crying my fur is wet, from laying on the ground it's dirty. Physically and mentally I am in no state to get married, especially not to Garth. My father walks around the corner, and immediately jumps back, startled.

"Wh-! O-oh, Kate! What in the world were you doing just standing there? And what happened to you?" He exclaims worriedly, and cirlces around me, looking me over. "W-well D-dad" I sniff a little, starting to choke up again, "I... I-"A sharp gasp cuts me off. "Kate! Look at you! Your fur is a mess, and you're look exhausted! Who did this to you?!" It's my mother. I hadn't noticed her follow my father around the corner when I had been about to speak to my absence. "Eve..." My father says softly, trying to calm her down, but it's no use, she gives him a death stare, and waits for my response. _Oh boy... she will not like this. Why couldn't it just have been dad?_ I clear my throat, and continue. "I e-erm... H-Humphrey-" Again, I'm cut off. "HUMPHREY DID THIS? WHY THAT LITTLE-!" My mother's tone gets soft, and she just shakes her head a little. Being one that's typically outspoken, this sudden silence worries me. "N-no! No mom, no. I did this, not on purpose though, I just..." Tears well up in my eyes, and my legs get everso shakey, so I sit down. "H-Humphrey left, and it's my fault" I mutter holding back my tears. My father gives a serious looking expression, one that looks like he's either dissappointed, sad, or both. My mother looks worried, but not for me anymore.

"How is it your fault Kate, what did you do that caused Humphrey to leave...?" My father asks sternly. "W-well... d-during the trip we... h-howled together on the t-train." My tears I can't hold any longer at the thought of the howl, I blink and they begin streaming down my face, "We really b-bonded a lot during that t-trip... I... then when I s-said I'd m-marry Garth..." It seems to click for both of them at just about the same time. Both of my parents look at each other, then at me, my father looking somewhat pained, my mother looking very sympathetic. "I can't marry Garth..." I finish, "I love Humphrey."

My father sighs, and lowers his head, my mother walks to me, and nuzzles my cheek. For the second time today, I begin heavily sobbing at the sudden loss of my best friend, and newfound love.

Three days later

It's been three days since Humphrey has left with no signs of his return... and why would he? He probably thinks I used him, used him to get home, and acted as though I felt the same, then tossed him away as soon as I'd gotten back.

With some smooth talking, and plenty of apologies, my mother and father convinced Tony not to start a war over the cancellation of my marriage to Garth, who oddly enough seemed happy. While I'm glad war was avoided, I can't help but feel an immense sadness over the fact that Humphrey felt so sad or angry that he left the safety of our pack, all because of me... what a horrible friend I am. To make matters worse, Winter is beginning to set in, the crisp fall air getting colder, and colder. This normally wouldn't be a problem, since everyone has a cave to keep dry and warm in, except now it's everyone... except for Humphrey. Who knows where he is; who knows if he has food or shelter; who knows if he will survive? His friends, and indeed most of the Omegas won't even look at me, blaming me for his absence, even some of the Betas, and Alphas avert their gaze from me... I_fucked up big time..._

Currently I'm laying in my parents' cave, looking out of the entrance. My father said that he will order search parties to look for Humphrey as soon as he can. I full well know however, that that won't be until Winter has passed. It's too risky to send someone out now. So, for the time being, all I have to do is sit, and think, and worry. _Oh Humphrey, please please come home soon! _

For now, I wait.

**Okay guys, and gals, and other chapter down! Also another shorter one, I plan on the next two being a bit longer to compensate for it. I hope you all enjoy! How will Humphrey react to his new environment? How will Kate, a busybody, take charge gal do with just sitting and waiting? Will the squirrels finally get eaten? Find out next update!**


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